Student business: Sydney’s Scrunchies

By Danyka Galvan

Teen-owned businesses have been a lot more popular in Gen Z. At Northwest, there are a few student-owned businesses. “Sydney’s Scrunchies” is a small business owned by Junior Sydney Fisher. As the name suggests, one item Sydney sells is hair scrunchies. However, as demand grew, she also began to sell headbands and hair scarves.

“Ever since I was little, I wanted to start my own business, mostly because I like being creative,” Sydney said. “My brother, Mitch, actually owned his own business when he was a lot younger, and I look up to him.”

Running a business alone is not easy, so Sydney often turns to Mitch for advice.

“Sydney is able to take in the advice and make
it her own,” Mitch said. “I would say the biggest area where I’ve helped her is with social media. I kind of told her to get on Instagram
and TikTok.”

Sydney hand-makes all of her products and leaves heartfelt notes
with each purchase.

“If I went on Amazon and bought them (hair products), I defi-
nitely would not get a note,” said Junior Saylir Paulson. “Sydney’s love for the customers makes me want to buy more.”

By making customers feel valued, Sydney gains a wider range of shoppers. With growing sales, running a business can become very stressful, especially with school in session again.

“It gets stressful when I’m very busy with every other activity,” Sydney said. “On top of homework and being in cross country, it gets tough sometimes. When school started, I definitely figured out how much I needed to plan ahead with time.”

Sydney’s scrunchies can be as cheap as $1.99. Hair scarves are priced at $5.99 and her headbands are $6.99. Sydney has a variety of prints to choose from. These can be purchased on Sydney’s website sydney132.wixsite.com/sydneys-scrunchies. Her website can be found in the bio of her Instagram: @sydneysscrunchiesco.

More than diversity points or a liberal agenda: Kamala Harris

 

By Emelia Richling

The date was January 8, 2004, and a young Kamala Harris had just pledged to tackle domestic violence, sex trafficking and a slew of other human rights issues that had been largely ignored by her predecessors. At her inauguration for the San Francisco district attorney, Harris accepted a large role that carried many responsibilities, a well-suited task for an ambitious woman whose determination to change the criminal justice system was unparalleled.

Sixteen years into the future, Harris has not only climbed the ranks of success but has also accomplished many of the goals she set out to achieve. The second Black and first South Asian woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, the former district attorney of San Francisco, the former attorney general (AG) of California and current Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate, Harris is no stranger to the political world, breaking boundaries and dissolving stereotypes in politics. She has garnered the support and respect of nearly everyone that has worked with her because she is different from other politicians.

In a National Public Radio article published from an episode of the Morning Edition on September 1, Jim Stearns, a top consultant for Harris since 2003, described how she has won over voters and made a name for herself. By becoming a memorable politician who maintains difficult promises and sticks to them even under intense pressure, Harris has been able to galvanize the support of the people.

Politicians often make empty commitments, telling people what they want to hear without following through on their promises. Harris is one of the few who makes impactful change for the people, such as maintaining her anti-death penalty stance, despite intense pressure from people who oppose her view.

As she transitioned away from her career in law enforcement to law-making, she was granted opportunities to learn and keep her promises.

Over the years, the number of gold stars Harris has earned far outweighs the mass of any demerits.

For instance, in a Los Angeles Times article published by Phil Willon, he concluded that Harris kept her promise of never seeking the death penalty, won $1.1 billion for students after learning they had been duped by their colleges and launched a program to reduce recidivism, which led to a 40 percent decline in reoffenders. These successes were monumental, far exceeding the job outline generally carried out by attorney generals.

In addition, Harris helped broker mortgage relief settlements, amassing over $18 billion in aid and assisting more than 84,000 families in need, according to a 2013 report by the AG’s California Monitor Program. The list seems to never end because Harris kept her promises to advocate for human rights, end unequal treatment based on sexual orientation and fight for the Equal Rights Amendment for women.

Harris is more than one political issue you may disagree with; she is more than just the accumulation of dry media reports. She stands for human rights, an issue that should be nonpartisan. She stands for criminal justice reform, a system that can greatly be improved. Harris is not a person to be discounted as just the potential vice president; she is a powerhouse of her own, an individual with the ability to knit together a country over the common issues that could always be refined.

Review: Yet Another Post-Apocalyptic Horror Movie

by Kirsten Medlin

The Silence is a new Netflix original movie that was recently released. It’s basically Bird Box meets A Quiet Place. The main problem isn’t that the idea doesn’t seem original, it’s just a bad movie. It’s at least not a complete rip off of A Quiet Place or Bird Box; the movie is based off a 2015 novel by Tim Lebbon with the same title. Even though Bird Box and A Quiet place are similar movies, they still are good movies in different ways. However, The Silence does not serve as a good movie on its own.

The genre of post-apocalyptic movies is already becoming oversaturated, and this movie certainly doesn’t help. The Silence is about the world being under attack by a monster who hunts its prey by sound, It focuses on a family of four, one of which who is a young teenage deaf girl, sounds familiar right? The most unique and most bearable part of this movie is the cult that tries to exploit the daughter, I think it added a really creepy aspect that the other films comparable to this movie didn’t really have.

None of the “emotional” moments feel emotional at all. No matter how many deaths there are in this movie, they don’t make you feel anything towards the characters. It just feels like this movie is going through the motions and using cheap gags to try to scare and make you feel sad for the characters, but it just fails. I give this movie two out of five stars, two just because it’s not the movie’s fault it was released right after Bird Box and A Quiet Place.

Opinion: Pro-life or pro-choice, some facts matter either way

Abortion is a touchy and troubled subject especially among Americans today, affecting men and women alike. Women are feeling the need to protect their wombs now more than ever, and it is for little to no reason. Feminists especially are trying to fight for women’s’ or doctors’ rights to kill a child, for about any reason, including the woman with the undeserving title of “mother,” not wanting the baby. The recently passed LIFE Act (Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act) in Georgia has brought the continuous controversy to a highlight again, making observers from all walks of life, religions, political parties, and gender speak up.

The LIFE Act was passed by state lawmakers of Georgia in March of 2019. Also being known as HB 481, this omnibus bill (a bill that covers a number of different topics) bans abortions of a fetus after a heartbeat is detected, protecting it by recognizing “fetuses as natural persons who qualify for state income tax and state population determinations.” The bill calls for only professionals to determine and perform the abortion. After the heartbeat is detected the only reason a professional is permitted to perform the abortion is due to the pregnancy being severely hazardous to the mother or baby’s health, and the choice is ultimately the mother’s. Most mothers would, and do, choose their baby’s possible survival over their own. Georgia is not the only state standing up for the rights of children in the U.S. either, Georgia is going along with many other states, and many have followed suit after them as well.

Many are arguing that this bill is “unconstitutional” and “absurd.” The only absurd part about this bill is the fact that it isn’t as widely accepted as it should be. I thought that once health professionals came together and decided the correct and obvious start of life, even one that the most pro-choice person could agree on, that we could finally stop killing children for no apparent reason. While terminating a pregnancy just makes sense for some people, for others it is the most heartbreaking and horrifying thought. If you haven’t looked up to see how a professional performs abortions, search it on the internet sometime.

There are generally two methods that are recommended; a pill process and a minor surgery. The pill process, which the FDA has approved for this to be taken up to 10 weeks into pregnancy, consists of a medicine or two to be taken, and then the woman will pass the embryo and the lining of the uterus, getting rid of the developing baby. The medical abortion is very similar to a miscarriage. The second method, the surgery, is the option that is recommended after 10 weeks of pregnancy. There are two different methods of the surgery as well: aspiration, where the baby is basically sucked out of the woman, and dilation and evacuation, which is a process using tools to pull the parts of the baby out of the womb.

I am not going to tell you that it is every woman’s destiny to become a mother, other than for purely biological reasons, but if you can stomach the thought of having a doctor purposely stop your child’s life, when there is nothing wrong, then I don’t believe that you are to ever be a mother. I understand that there are so many women and teens who don’t mean to fall pregnant when they do, and that it can cause problems, but there are so many other options out there for mothers who feel that they are unfit for a child for whatever reason. Adoption, financial help, being a surrogate for someone who dreams of having a child. There are about 2 million couples wanting and waiting to adopt in the U.S. and that’s roughly 36 families for every one child that is put up for adoption.

There are plenty of viable options other than abortion, no excuses unless it is medical. I am “pro-choice” for after the woman has the baby. Before that, it is not just the woman’s body. The fetus has a separate set of DNA. There is no reason to abort your child out of pure convenience for yourself.

 

“We Are Witt’s Warriors”

By Jared Fredericks and Bryce Harrington

Senior Jared Fredricks and English teacher Mike Witt Pose with a “Witts Warriors” cake during class.

The track at Viking Field was home to more than just the Dave Gee Track Invitational on April 18. It was also the site for the first ever Witt’s Warriors Walk for Parkinson’s Awareness and Support.

Inspired by the amazing show of support from the community for the GRACE Foundation’s Race for GRACE, held annually in Grand Island, sophomore Jenna Buttner knew she wanted to do something to support Northwest teacher Mike Witt after he made his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease public.

Walkers are led by Mike Witt in the first annual Witt’s Warriors Walk held on the track at Viking Field at Northwest High School.

Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive incurable nervous system disorder that affects movement and muscle control.

The initial idea for Witt’s Warriors was to do the walk and sell tee shirts and goodie bags, but due to the limited timeframe, that didn’t quite work. The group settled on selling wristbands and putting on the walk instead.

While the final number of participants from Witt’s Warriors walk is unclear, the Northwest Student Council raised over $2,000 from a combination of the wristbands, the walk, and free will donations. One former student of Witt bought 500 wristbands himself.

She was happy with the numbers and the turnout for the event, Buettner said.

“Anything that we can do to get people to participate is good enough for us.” Buettner’s favorite moment of the walk came when she looked out and the entire home stretch of the track was completely filled with participants.

Northwest Student Council members sell bands and collect donations by the concessions area on April 18 at Viking Field during the Dave Gee Track and Field Invite.

Student council has not found a specific use for the funds as of now but their hope is to use them to support research being done about Parkinson’s Disease. They have also had the idea of creating a scholarship to help spread awareness about the disease.

Walkers wait for the starting gun to fire to begin the first annual Witt’s Warriors Walk

“I was very honored and humbled that so many people gave their time and resources in order to help draw awareness to a disease that so disproportionately affects Nebraskans,” said Witt. “That level of support emphasizes the strong community that is Northwest.   It makes me proud to be a part of the Northwest family.”

Student council is still selling bands for $2. Anyone interested in picking one up to show their support for Witt can contact Buettner or Student Council sponsor Darbie Mazour. Buettner says they plan on continuing Witt’s Warriors in the years to come and are looking forward to being able to advertise and promote it more so they can one day move the event to a bigger venue.

Witts Warriors Bands are sold by the Northwest Student Council for $2.00

Anyone interested in helping out with Witt’s Warriors in any way can contact Jenna Buettner jbuettner21@ginorthwest.org  or Darbie Mazour dmazour@ginorthwest.org.

Class of 2019 Senior Superlatives !

Most likely to win the Nobel Peace Prize

Jacque Johnson & Jared Rosenlund

Future social media influencer

Heidi Cooper & Brock Dankert

Most likely to win the lottery and lose the ticket

Abby Leigh & Caden Isley

Most changed since Freshman Year

Alizae Rodenbaugh & Luke Jacobs

Most likely to join a colony on Mars

Alexis Zlomke & Garret Olsen

Most likely to star in a Broadway play

Madison Roberts & Carson Holliday

Pulled the most all-nighters

Brynna Lewis & Wyatt Whitt

Best work ethic

Megan Cooper & Mitchell Vitera

Most likely to be interviewed in the news for an unexpected reason

Brook Buhrman & Mario Nuno

Most likely to have the next big Silicon Valley tech startup

Madolyn Oakeson & Ethan Meyer

Senior Advice: Top Ten Tips for Getting Through High School

By Jalyn Johnston

Four long years of your life that are made way harder than they should be = High School. I have learned a lot from other people’s mistakes, but there are some lessons that are uniquely yours, and nobody tells you what to do. Here are some tips to make life just a little easier during those years.

 

1. Don’t start or condone drama and rumors.

 

If it doesn’t involve you directly, leave it alone.

2. Just do your homework.

       Trust me, it’s just easier to get it done. Get it done, keep up your grades, get help if you need it. It makes life go smoother and leaves a lot more room for fun if you get it out of the way.  

3. Figure out how to sift through the fake friends.

    This process is different for everyone I’ve figured out. Figure out your standards of friendship and try to find the best group of people for you possible. Who you’re around really can shape who you are, so if you recognize yourself as sort of a follower then either fix that about yourself or choose people who you don’t mind being like.

4. Don’t post every part of (you)r life on social media.

    Vlogging, posting and snapchatting is cool and all, but it’s only cool until it hurts someone. And don’t send nudes kids, it’s illegal and not cute.

5. (Similar to 4) Don’t tell everyone all your business, or anyone else’s.

       There are some things just best kept private. Sharon in your algebra class first of all doesn’t care, and second of all doesn’t always need to know when you hooked up with that one guy. And you know you would hate it if Stacy from chem spilled the tea about your family drama, so don’t do it to her.

6. Just be nice to people. (But don’t let people walk all over you either)

It makes life a lot easier if you’re just nice to everyone you meet, whether or not they deserve it. It builds a good reputation for you, you’ll be less stressed, and chances are you will have more friends.

7. *This is a weird one* Smile when you make eye contact with someone.

I know, it’s awkward sometimes, but there is a real chance that you might make someone’s day because you were kind and didn’t scowl at them at the grocery store. Plus, if you’re wondering what’s in it for you,  scientists have proven that smiling, even if it’s on purpose and disingenuous, you feel happier. So just smile 🙂

8. Take time to get to know yourself.

Figure out what you want to do, you don’t have to know right away, you don’t even have to know by graduation. But figure out what you like, dislike, and what your passion is. If you don’t know that, then you’ll be stuck in a loop until you do.

9. Just listen to your parents. Be with your family.

Go to the family dinner, the holiday celebration, spend time with them. Be home by curfew, let them know where you are. They just want to know you are safe, fed, and happy. After high school you don’t know how much time you’ll get to spend with them and if it’s not important to you as a 15 year old, it probably will be when you’re 20 and missing home.  

10. Have fun in high school, but know that it’s not everything.

There is life after 12th grade, and you need to remember that. Whether you’re a popular kid, band nerd, or a scholar, high school is not the end. Don’t base everything you do after graduation on what happened in highschool, you can change who you are, what you want and how you act, for good or bad. So just remember.

 

“Avengers: Endgame”: The End of an Era

By Jakeb Larson

After 22 movies over more than 10 years, Avengers: Endgame is the grand conclusion that Marvel fans have been waiting for. Ever since the first trailer of Endgame was released, fans have been waiting anxiously for the movie to be released. The movie includes characters from all the different Marvel movies, including characters that weren’t present in Infinity War. The movie had a lot of what fans were expecting, but also had some parts that we weren’t expecting. Even though all the scenes weren’t as action packed as the ones in Infinity War, the ones that were action packed surpassed the ones in Infinity War.

With all the surprises in the movie, it will keep you at the edge of your seat. I was even afraid to get up to go get more popcorn because I didn’t want to miss anything. Endgame had parts that  made the whole theater gasp in shock and excitement. The CGI was, in my opinion, better in Endgame than previous Marvel movies. This is a really good thing for the visual quality of the movie because a lot of character’s powers rely on CGI to make them seem real. Another thing that I enjoyed is that the role of one character (who will remain unnamed here) was more important in Endgame unlike their role in previous Marvel movies.

The movie takes place five years after Thanos snapped his fingers. As the Earth and planets all over the universe are trying to recuperate after what happened in Infinity War, it’s up to the remaining Avengers, Captain Marvel, and the remaining members of the Guardians of the Galaxy to try to help everyone adjust to what happened. Even with all their efforts, the scars that Thanos left on the universe are too great to forget. Everyone had given up bringing back those who were lost to Thanos. Avengers: Endgame may seem like the end, but it creates a chance for many more Marvel movies.

Unlike most Marvel movies, Endgame did not have an post-credits clip which was disappointing. Still, I enjoyed the movie and I can’t wait to see the next Marvel movies that are going soon. I would rate this movie 6 infinity stones out of 6.

 

Record Number to State Journalism

by Jerianna Hostetler

 

A successful day!! @VikingsNW#ginwvikings #nwvikingmedia pic.twitter.com/lCpQ2veoUJ

— Northwest journalism (@nwvikingmedia) April 23, 2019

Viking Media at Northwest consists of three different journalism classes: Yearbook, Newspaper, and Digital Broadcast Journalism. These classes are designed for students to use their creative eye to improve the content that the student body experiences, inform the school about happenings in their high school, town, and the world around them, and give a fun way to reminisce on the year. The journalism department has not always exceeded the way it has in this past year. This year there were 17 students that made it to state journalism: two from the Viking yearbook, four from the Viking Saga newspaper, and 13 from broadcasting.

Advisor of all three of these classes, Beth Kavan, said that Northwest has never had the opportunity to take this many students before and she was extremely happy for them to have this opportunity. State Journalism has never gotten much recognition in past years, and when talking to first-year journalism students, some even confessed that they didn’t know it existed.

What many people do not know is that journalism can be a very competitive thing to everyone participating in it. In order to qualify for state journalism, a contestant has to place in the top 8 in their category.  When that contestant goes to State, they will have an hour and fifteen minutes to compete in their category. This can mean that they are writing a headline for a made-up newspaper or yearbook, writing a news story based on whatever the board comes up with for that year, or a number of other categories.

Out of the other 8 people that compete, there are judges that have to read all of the pieces submitted and choose which is best out of all. But no matter if someone writes the best or worst story, everyone who competes at state automatically gets a metal from first to eighth place.

This year is the most successful year in terms of how many students qualified.

Many students loved having the opportunity.

“I enjoyed state journalism so much because I got to hang out with close friends and meet some new people,” senior Grace Stratman said. “It was an exciting experience to be part of because you knew that you placed but you didn’t know exactly where.”

The Viking Media staff members were able to bond together and celebrate their successes as a group.

“State journalism was a lot of fun because I got to be with my fellow classmates and teachers,” senior Justin Hiser said. “I even placed first in one of my categories and that was a very accomplishing feeling.”

 

 

Review: “Cuphead”, A Hand-Drawn Masterpiece

by Angel Duran

This review will get red hot! Cuphead, Studio MDHR’s highly anticipated action/platformer is finally available on Nintendo Switch. I’m happy to say that the Switch port makes a very smooth transition over.

Developed by the studio MDHR, a company founded by two brothers by the names of Chad Moldenhauer and Jared Moldenhauer. Along with their team, they brought the cartoony world of Cuphead to life. The game originally came out on the Xbox One back in September 29 of 2018 and the game received many positive responses. Now that Nintendo and Microsoft are best friends because of the whole idea of having cross-platform games, meaning no matter console you play on you can play with people on a different console compared to yours, Nintendo and Microsoft pioneered this partnership and saw an opportunity to rub it in Sony’s face because they did not want to cross-platform. With Microsoft and Nintendo’s friendship, gamers saw the results such as the announcement of Xbox Live Microsoft’s online subscription service being brought over to the Nintendo Switch. It also saw the announcement of the Shoot ‘Em Up and Boss Rush game Cuphead.

The game’s story is actually very simple; it’s about two brothers Cuphead and Mugman. They are two fun loving boys under the watch of the Elder Kettle. The Elder Kettle warns them about the Devil’s Casino; the boys ignore the Elder Kettle’s warning and go to the casino to play craps. They go on a winning streak and the Devil offers them to raise the stakes. The wager that the devil made was that if they win they get all the money in the casino, but if they lose the devil takes their souls. The brothers accept the wager and ultimately lose because Cuphead rolls snake eyes. After begging for mercy, the Devil makes a deal with them to collect soul contracts. The brothers set off across Inkwell Isle fighting the residents who have lost their souls to the Devil.

Right off the bat, the game has plenty of goods to offer, such as the visuals. The art style is beautiful. It takes inspiration from vintage animation studios such as Fleischer Studios and Disney. The team even went as far as to hand draw every single frame of animation in the game. It’s not just the drawings that take inspiration in the shows of the past; the screen overlay also has a flickering effect and color bleed on the screen, giving it more of that old-school feeling. Even in the sound department ,the soundtrack is made up of original jazz recordings composed by Kris Maddigan that were recorded live in their studio. All the work they put in the animation and music does pay off because it really feels like you’re playing in the cartoons of yesteryear; it also is just fun to look at.

There were points of my gameplay sessions where my mom or dad walked in and they were confused because they thought I was watching an old cartoon and not playing a video game. The art can be great in a game, but that doesn’t equal a good game; you have to have a balance of good gameplay– luckily this game has that. The team spent countless hours fine-tuning the small details such as the hitboxes, which can be described as where your projectiles hit an enemy, and vice versa. The goal the team had is that the game plays as good as it looks and it does–even though you want to rip your hair out given how hard the game can actually be. Taking influences from games like Contra, Super Mario World, Mega Man and Street Fighter, and that influence shows because those games really made you test your skills and patience to not throw your controller at the television. The games’ difficulty is a positive because while at times it may seem impossible to beat that boss or enemy, the game encourages you to start over because you don’t have lives. With the press of a button you just have to wait for the game to load to jump back in and learn the pattern of the enemy to beat him. Given that the game is on the Nintendo Switch is a huge plus because you can take it anywhere and you don’t have to be tethered to a home console. Since the game is on the Nintendo Switch which is not the most powerful console on the market, it was kind of worrisome on how the game would perform on Nintendo’s hybrid console. But since Cuphead isn’t graphically demanding, the game runs great on docked mode (meaning when it uses the TV as the display). Given the close amount of detail in the game, it truly does pay off in the long run because it really is a game like no other.

The game does a lot right, but one of the biggest strengths that the game has can be seen as a weakness. The difficulty could be seen as a turnoff for some people: given that the game is a boss rush and a platformer, it is about 75% bosses and 25% platform levels. You will be facing up against bosses that have many phases that require close attention to what the bosses’ attack patterns are. But the difficulty isn’t a thing that destroys the game as a whole because it varies from the skill of the player. The game is built off the whole idea of being difficult because of the inspiration of the game so it made in mind of people playing difficult games.

Cuphead is more than just a game; it’s a work of art because of the amount of the work that the team spent. Even if you aren’t a fan of the difficulty, it’s just fun to watch someone play because at least in my experience I get a chuckle from watching someone struggle with a boss or levels. It’s also fun to watch because it really does feel like a cartoon and it’s fun seeing the character expressions. The game is definitely a game where you will die a lot, but it’s a hoot to play. That’s why this game gets 5 mugs out 5.